Culture 101

The shortlist for the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults was announced this week and, among the titles, is a story on the theme of Matariki by journalist and broadcaster… Read more Audio

Arts news for 1 June 2025. Audio

This next fortnight sees the visit of indigenous performers to Aotearoa from across Te Moana Nui a kiwa -the Pacific Ocean. They are presenting works at two established contemporary festivals -… Read more Audio

130 years on, Puccini's La Bohème remains an enduring classic and beloved opera. Read more Audio

Every week in RNZ Culture 101's Regional Wrap we find out about the arts scene in a place beyond our city centres. This week it's a suburb that developed its own sense of identity before travel was… Read more Audio

A competition to see who's best at doing nothing will be one of the highlights at the Melbourne Rising Festival. The Space Out event will last 90 minutes and participants have to excel at doing… Read more Audio

In 1988 a choir founded in the '50s Soviet socialist era, the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir released the album Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares. It won them a Grammy, turned them into an… Read more Audio

Angella Dravid is this year's Fred Award winner for best show at the International Comedy Festival, taking home the iconic gumboot and a prize of 5000 dollars. She's only the third woman to ever win… Read more Audio

A much anticipated release of New Zealand Music Month has just been released and it's both an album and a book. It's from Tamaki Makaurau Auckland trio Grecco Romank. Both formats feature a slew of… Read more Audio

Each week, Culture 101 puts the spotlight on a different part of Aotearoa for our Regional Wrap. This week Culture 101 heads 45-minutes north of Auckland to Warkworth. It's located at the head of the… Read more Audio

There's a dark side to motherhood that can still be too taboo to talk about. It's the hidden part which can be lonely, filled with rage and the reality can be monstrous. Read more Audio

From Castlecliff to Thames, half court to full court, around Aotearoa artists are increasingly being commissioned to create eye-popping colourful designs for public basketball courts. These courts… Read more Audio